Curry County is leaning into recent changes in federal forest policy, opting for a potentially larger share of timber revenue while seeking more influence over the management of federal lands.
County commissioners voted unanimously July 14 to take federal timber-sale receipts for fiscal year 2026 rather than a payment through the Secure Rural Schools program.
FILE — A significant portion of Curry County's forestland is federally managed.
Courtesy of Tom Iraci via U.S. Forest Service
O&C lands are federally managed forests in western Oregon that generate revenue shared with counties. A recent federal spending law increased the counties’ share from 50% to 75%, restoring the split in place when the 1937 legislation was signed.
Curry County Commissioner Jay Trost said reviving the three-quarter share marks a return to the act’s original intention.
“This is about restoring a federal commitment that has been part of the O&C contract for generations,” Trost said.
That change made timber receipts more attractive to Curry County, particularly as the federal government pushes to increase timber production. But the payments remain less predictable because they depend on timber receipts.
Congress created Secure Rural Schools in 2000 after declining federal timber sales sharply reduced county revenue. The program gives counties an alternative to payments tied to timber activity.
Curry County is also seeking a larger role in federal forest work through a separate road-repair agreement with the Oregon Department of Forestry, which commissioners approved on July 29. The department received $250,000 in federal grant money to repair priority Forest Service roads in Curry County.
Projects will be approved one at a time. County crews could perform some repairs, while other work could go to local contractors.
County Commissioner Patrick Hollinger described the agreement as a first step toward restoring the county’s role in federal forest planning.
“They’re federal lands, but we are supposed to be the ones helping create the plan for our forests with the government,” Hollinger said. “That has not happened in many, many years.”
Hollinger said successful road projects could lead to separate agreements covering forest restoration, timber sales or other work.
Theo Greenly is a reporter with the JPR newsroom. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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